


Petunia

by fide_bello



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 01:37:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fide_bello/pseuds/fide_bello
Summary: A new automaton has joined the Walter household! Will they fit in with their steam-powered predecessors, or will they butt heads?





	Petunia

There was a newborn in the Walter household. Or, more appropriately phrased, a “newbuilt,” different from their steam-powered predecessors. Their back had solar panels, internal batteries for backup power to use when necessary, and are short in stature (around 5 ft. 3 in. tall). Instead of an external skin of metal, it was a tough plastic. It wasn't easily dented or scratched, but it was more lightweight, and was white instead of metallic in appearance. They were usually dressed in clothes intended for the purpose that the automaton was built for; gardening. They wore a pair of dark brown boots, dark grey dungarees, a worn and patched-up red shirt, and a pair of tough gardening gloves. Not that it's anyone's business, but beneath their clothes, their joints were black, and made of a more malleable plastic, akin to an accordion. And lastly, about their head; a face made of the same plastic as the rest of their exoskeleton, pink photo receptors, and a head of roses. Meaning their head had roses growing out of it, looking quite like a perm hairstyle that old human ladies tend to wear. The roses were in a variety of warm colors; red, pink, orange, yellow, and then there was a single white rose off-center of the top of their head.

They're being described in such detail as to give you the most accurate picture of their appearance as possible, we're not trying to be pretentious here.

///

Petunia had been in operation for a few months now, having been activated not long after the other automatons had gone on another tour. Peter IV gave them the name Petunia, since that was the name of his favorite flower. Petunia wanted to grow roses in their head instead, and Peter IV let them, because why not? It wasn't the worst thing for a robot to request, compared to, say, a certain quirky robot with lovely long hair and cute dresses. Okay, that was rude. Sorry, Rabbit.

It was a stormy day, so Petunia retreated indoors for safety's sake. The gardens of the Walter Estate could be tended to once the storm had passed and the damage had been done. It always made Petunia sad when storms wreaked havoc upon their work, but this was simply how nature was. Being indoors, Petunia had removed their muddy work boots and gloves, leaving them on a rug near the gates to one of the gardens, but before the doors into the mansion, under a stone archway. It was true that most of the mansion had no doors, but given the weather, there were exceptions.

Rolling up the legs of their dungarees and the sleeves of their shirt, they ventured onward, in an exterior corridor of the mansion, watching as the rain poured down the windows they walked past. Approaching the front entrance, Petunia heard a commotion. There were voices, rattling, and what sounded like water being shaken off of things. Peering around a corner, their glowing pink eyes saw automatons that were clearly older models, drying themselves off. True, Petunia was aware that other robots existed, but they had not met any that were as functional and sentient as themself yet. There was information about the ones they were currently watching, but it wasn't sufficient data to make proper assessments. Watching the others, there was a small blip in Petunia's software; a subroutine was activated.

_New objects detected-- measure prettiness levels and transport suitably pretty objects to decorate the gardens. Begin assessment._

_Rabbit: Sufficiently pretty. However, placement would be detrimental to garden safety. Could potentially also eat the flowers as organic rabbits do._

_Zero: Shiny thing. Is or was a war-bot. Not suited for the garden environment, but possible candidate for a fountain._

_Hatchworth: Appears to be a friendly entity, but would not be appropriate for the garden either._

_The Jon: Pretty thing. Pretty hair. Pretty face. Will collect more data for which garden and what placement to apply. Note: resembles sunflowers._

_The Spine: …_

_The Spine: ?????_

_The Spine: ERROR. ERROR. DATA CORRUPTED. RESTART._

As Petunia's software was malfunctioning, their gears were straining, making unavoidably noticeable whirring, which the others had heard, and they all went silent. Shortly thereafter, Petunia had slumped over, then fell down in their sight with a clatter, spilling a little bit of dirt from their head onto the floor. How cliché. What an overused trope. This is stupid. But whatever, it's the writer's story. Shut your face.

“... Hey. Hey, Spine. Heyy-y-y,” Rabbit said as she quickly made her way over to the new automaton.

“What is it, Rabbit?”

“Who's this?” she asked, pointing down at Petunia.

“How should _I_ know?”

“Goodness! Shouldn't we help them?” Hatchworth questioned.

Rabbit crouched down and started poking and prodding this new... flower pot? She was followed by The Jon, who gently tugged at the straps of Petunia's dungarees, noticing their similarity to his own suspenders. The red shirt, apart from being patched in places, was also similar to his own, a bit loose on his skinny frame.

“Okay, get away from them, they need a jump start or something,” Spine said, gently pushing The Jon and Rabbit away from Petunia. “Zero, pick them up and let's go.”

“Right!” he replied, easily picking up their new... friend(?) and carrying them over his shoulder.

“Shouldn't they be carried in a more... dignified way?” Hatchworth asked.

“Eh...?”

“You know, like...” Hatchworth trailed off before doing his best emulation of carrying someone bridal-style, “This!”

Zero shifted Petunia to carry them as Hatchworth suggested, and followed The Spine.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so! I'm gonna need some help writing this, to be honest. Can anyone perhaps put forth more detailed information on the canon characters? I'll do my own research, but I'm also kinda... lazy. Okay, more than kinda. Like, videos of their sketch comedy (with GOOD AUDIO) would be very useful, for example, to get a better grasp on the pre-existing dynamics in their interactions.
> 
> I kept imagining how fun it would be to play a robot, like the members of Steam-Powered Giraffe, and that's how Petunia was initially created. I took my own liberties in their design, however. They're solarpunk, not steampunk, and don't fit in with the canon band's aesthetic. A solar-powered gizmo, you could say.
> 
> Here's links to art I made of them, but not in the outfit I described in the fic. Hopefully the links work....  
> https://twitter.com/hintofaperson/status/1088328827477082112?s=12  
> https://twitter.com/hintofaperson/status/1088685481339088896?s=12


End file.
